How Airbnb Is Making Bookings Easier for Events + 5 Other Tech Stories to Read
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This month’s round-up of top technology stories includes an interesting analysis on Airbnb and its efforts to make further inroads in the events industry, following its launch of a new search tool for business travellers. We also look at some cool new tech which event planners can experiment with including a new venue finding website, RFID wristbands that come with pretty handy safety features and a VR event tech platform which is set to transform ‘virtual’ business events and conferences. Lastly for a bit of inspiration, we look at how one event used projection mapping so creatively that it succeeded in setting a new Guinness World Record!
Have a look at the top tech stories you don’t want to miss:
Skift: Airbnb Introduces New Search Tools for Business Travellers
Airbnb has introduced a new search tool called ‘Work Trip’, which allows users to see listings that are most relevant for corporate travel. Relevant listings get good reviews from other business travellers, have amenities like Wi-Fi and easy check-in, flexible cancellation, full-equipped kitchens and working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s good news because aside from making bookings quicker, it ensures accommodation now comes with minimum quality and safety standards – which is something important for many event planners today.
While not perfect, Airbnb for Work’s new business trip filter can provide planners with a degree of reassurance when suggesting listings as an alternative to room blocks. Typically, when the block gets sold out, planners either have to make another last-minute deal with a different hotel or make attendees go through the extra steps of booking a room on their own. Moreover, the article suggest business travellers are increasingly looking for unconventional experiences when booking work trips, opting to stay in rooms that provide a better opportunity to explore the city. With Airbnb becoming more of an established platform for business travel, it will become increasingly difficult for events companies to ignore it. Read more.
Access All Areas: Tappit Launched RFID Wristband Safety Functionality
Tappit, the cashless payment system for events, venues and stadia, has introduced RFID wristbands with a cool new safety functionality. Designed to improve both attendee safety and security, the new cashless wristbands can now store emergency contact details – a feature that has already proven to be popular with families when it was first featured at Ireland’s Kaleidoscope Festival in June.
Those using the Tappit wristbands will be prompted to pre-register their emergency contact information before the event, which will then be stored digitally on the RFID chip in the wristband when attendees arrive on-site. If someone gets separated from their group of friends, parent or guardian, all they need to do is place their wristband to a reader at an information point for staff to see the contact information. The wristband can also be a great help in first aid and emergency situations as attendees can be identified if they’re unresponsive and relevant people can be contacted immediately. Read more.
eBook: The Event Planner’s Guide to Personalisation
Marketing Tech News: New VR Event Technology Platform Set to Transform ‘Virtual Conferences’
The VR evolution is making further inroads in our industry with the announcement of a new futuristic VR event tech platform, which will be unveiled at the IBC Conference this week. A joint venture between VRJAM and Agora, the platform provides a one of a kind immersive solution that merges live interactive video, real time 3D graphics, 3D motion capture and live audio to deliver real-time experiences on mobile devices.
The article suggests that the new platform is set to benefit both businesses and attendees alike. Organisers and speakers will gain access to larger audiences allowing them to communicate in a more personal way compared to alternatives such as video calling. Event attendees, on the other hand, will have access to a wider variety of information, with the possibility of being present at several locations almost simultaneously and evading any extra time and travel related costs. Read more.
Forbes: Facebook May Get Rid of ‘Likes’
A quick update from Facebook – the social media giant has announced that it is considering hiding ‘likes’ on News Feed Posts. The company has already tested a similar move on Instagram in August as a way to help break users’ fixation with getting likes on their pictures. If implemented, Facebook posts will no longer show likes or reactions to a post – though likes and reactions on comments would still be viewable with the feature turned on. The user who created the post will still be able to see a list of people and their reactions, but a number won’t be displayed.
Will having less likes on your event’s Facebook or Instagram posts have any real impact you may ask? For some, yes and for others, no. If your event relies on social media and you use ‘likes’ as a metric to demonstrate the engagement results of your event marketing campaigns and activities, this could be a big deal. Watch this space. Read more.
Read: 7 mistakes to avoid when using Facebook Live at events
Event Industry News: New Venue Finding Platform Launched for Event Planners
As an event planner, it’s always useful having a tool that provides easily accessible, straightforward venue specifications and contact information. But most venue portals out there typically require a lengthy sign-in process and provide limited contact information and access to venue providers. Until now. Search4Venues is a new venue portal which gives the exact info venue finders need without time-consuming sign-ups, form fills, or jumping through any other hoops. If you like what you see, you can view direct contact info there and then, without contacting any third parties. The portal also makes venue finding a faster, less stressful process by ensuring all its listings are hand-picked and approved by experienced event specialists. Read more.
BizBash: Projection Mapping at Corporate Event Sets Guinness World Record
Comedians, bands or magicians might be the standard form of live entertainment you’d expect at a corporate dinner these days – but employees at one recent company celebration were treated to a meal with a side of projection mapping!
For Amway’s 60th anniversary celebration in Las Vegas, more than 1,300 people experienced projection mapping on their place settings during a private dinner at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Amway chose to use technology to push the company’s thematic message of “future forward” creating 1,312 audiovisual displays – consisting of three customised stories relating to the brand’s history, the attendees, and the food that was served on-site (you can watch the video here). The event also set the Guinness World Record for the “Most Projection-Mapped Displays at a Single Venue.” It is certainly a very creative application of a technology that is becoming more and more prevalent in our industry. Read more.
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